Road Trip: The Journey
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: Sequel to Road Trip: the beginning. John sets out on his road trip, accompanied by Dean, Sam, Adam, Xander, and Willow, knowing that surely, something, is going to happen, sooner or later. Turns out he was right.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any events, characters or locations featured in either series. Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer was created by the talented Joss Whedon. I own nothing.**

John Winchester laughed as he drove his truck, smiling across at his two youngest children. Alexander – or rather, Xander – and Willow sat in the truck with him and they were all laughing at a story that Xander had told. John grinned. It had been such a long time since he'd had a good laugh with any of his children but that would change. Life wasn't just about hunting, John had learned that now.

Ever since he and Dean had scarcely survived with their lives after that truck had plowed into the Impala, John had begun to realize just how much his boys meant to him. He'd set out to introduce Sam and Dean to Adam, the son he had spent time with, and then they had all journeyed south to Sunnydale, California, where John knew he had another illegitimate child, Xander. In Sunnydale, they had discovered the existence of Willow, the daughter that John had never known he had, and the younger half-sister that Dean, Sam, Adam and Xander had never expected. The family had been complete at last and John had felt a sense of his life being fulfilled and for the first time in years, he'd felt that he had moved on from Mary's tragic death.

John had been deeply surprised at how easy it had been to convince Xander, Willow, and their parents that they should come on a road trip with him during their summer vacation. They had all agreed, as long as they would be back before the new school year began, so Willow and Xander had packed their bags and put them in the back of the truck, climbing up into the cab, and had waved to Giles, the school librarian (the only one who had come to see them off) as John had driven down the street.

Generally, Xander and Willow travelled with John in the truck, leaving Dean, Sam, and Adam to the Impala. John, however, guessed that at one point all five of his kids were going to be in the Impala at some point. Squishy as that was going to be, John knew in his gut that it was going to happen.

Despite the transportation arrangements, they all stopped at the same motels, getting a family room where there was one available or, if not, two rooms side by side. Dean and Sam would go in one room together, and John and the younger three would share the other.

What John found interesting was when they were all together in the evenings, they went to get some food and then all congregated in one room. Already Sam, Adam, and Willow had begun to bond over being 'the smart ones' (as Dean put it). At the same time, Dean and Xander had begun to bond over being "the not-so-smart ones" (as Adam put it; Dean always retorted that he and Xander were the cool ones).

At the same time though, Dean was bonding with Adam and Willow and Sam was bonding with Xander. It surprised John how well they got along with no obvious arguments springing up between them, although John could imagine that the peace would not last forever. His money was on Dean and either Adam or Xander, since John could see that they were as stubborn as Dean. Willow, however, already had all of her brothers wrapped around her little finger, just a merit of being a girl and the youngest. John doubted that she would need to get involved; in fact, John imagined that Willow would become the peacekeeper between the four boys and probably at some point of time, between himself and one of the boys.

It had been nice for John to just spend time with his family. It was like he was getting to know them and not just the younger three, but getting to know the men that Dean and Sam had become in his absence, especially Sam. The younger of Mary's two sons had changed much since John had thrown him out and yet he was still the little Sammy that John remembered Dean taking care of when they were just boys.

Despite the serenity, however, John knew that something was brewing on the horizon. Things had been too quiet and too peaceful for his family for too long. Something had to give.

He just hoped whatever the hell it was stayed away from Adam, Xander and Willow. The kids didn't need to get dragged into a hunt. They weren't trained and John, despite the danger it put them in, wanted his three youngest children to stay that way.

SPN/BtVS

Xander lay sprawled on his stomach on the bed he and Adam would have to share for that night, laughing at Dean and Sam as they teased one another. John had gone to organize dinner for the family and left Dean in charge

"Bitch," Dean teased.

"Jerk," Sam retorted.

"Why do you guys do that to one another?' Willow asked from where she lay on the top bunk above Adam and Xander's double bed (a bed she had scored by default, with it being the only singe bed in the room, other than the couch, which John would sleep on).

Dean shrugged. "Because we always have. Sam has his little bitch face."

"And Dean's just a jerk," Sam cut in.

"Shut up, bitch. Anyway, it's high time that you three got nicknames," Dean announced. Adam, Xander, and Willow all exchanged slightly apprehensive glances.

"This isn't going to be good," Adam whispered to his two younger siblings, who both nodded in agreement.

Dean and Sam were talking quietly among themselves, shooting side glances at the three younger Winchesters. Xander thought they were being rather suspicious as Willow climbed down from her bed and sat beside Xander and Adam on the lower bunk.

"Okay," Dean said finally, "we have decided what your nicknames will be. Carry them with pride." Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's proclamation and swatted his elder brother in the arm

"What, this is a big moment for them. They're being initiated into the Winchester family and it's my job to make sure that they know what that means."

"Er, what exactly DOES that mean, Dean?" Adam asked, voicing the same question that was on the minds of Willow and Xander, only the two youngest Winchesters didn't voice it as neither of them knew Dean (or Sam, for that matter) all that well.

"Right, being a Winchester means that family is the number one thing in the world. Nothing is more important than family," Dean replied.

Adam, Xander and Willow all exchanged looks at that announcement. It sounded like there was a story there but Dean didn't look like he would be forthcoming and Sam looked content to let Dean do all the talking.

"Do you guys understand that? I know that you all grew up in different houses… different families from Sammy and I and up until now, none of you have had siblings but that's not the case anymore. You've got each other and me and Sammy and Dad, of course. You have a family and you are part of a family and family sticks together… even if they're a long way away, so stay in touch."

"Yeah, we get it Dean," Willow smiled. It had been a very touching speech, although Sam was smiling and mouthed something about a chick-flick moment to Dean, who glared at him.

"Anyway. Adam, your nickname from now on will be Geek because of your little Star Wars thing. Xander, you shall be known as Brat because you are the youngest of the boys. I think we should work together on Willow's nickname."

"Aw, what?" Willow pouted. Xander grinned and turned to Adam and they high fived.

"Willow, you go into the bathroom and wait until we call you out," Dean said. Willow sighed and nodded, getting off the bed and heading into the bathroom. She knew that this had only happened because Dean and Sam knew the least about her and needed Xander's help. She had taken care to be quiet when she was around her new family, feeling slightly overwhelmed by everything. So far it appeared to be working, her wallflower act perfected over many years paying off once again.

Of course, now that Sam and Dean had recruited Xander, Willow knew that she was going to get an embarrassing nickname. At least Geek was already taken… and Nerd was too close to Geek. They were the two most obvious ones she could think of Xander suggesting. Of course, that led to the unexpected ones, though, and Willow had not idea what Xander… or any of the others would suggest. It was slightly worrying.

She trusted that it would not be overly rude… Jerk, Bitch, Geek and Brat weren't that bad, but she still chewed her lip in worry as she waited for her brothers to finish their discussions.

Her brothers… it still was weird to think of them as that. Only a week ago, she'd been secure in the knowledge that she was the daughter if Ira and Sheila Rosenberg and that she was an only child, but now? Now she was the daughter of Sheila and a man that she'd had an encounter with during an argument with her husband named John Winchester, who also had four sons. Two, Dean and Sam, from his marriage and another two from liaisons with other women after the death of his wife. One of those two was Adam and the other… was Xander. The very same Xander that had been her best friend since kindergarten. Her entire life had been turned around in the space of a few short days, leaving her grasping for something… anything to keep her upright. Even Xander had been different since they'd found out. He and Adam were already good friends, spending a lot of time together talking and getting to know one another. It reminded Willow so much of what Xander and Jesse had been like before Jesse had died. She was glad that Xander had found someone to take Jesse's place in Xander's life, since she knew that there were just some things that boys needed to talk to boys about, and that she and Buffy would never understand.

Unfortunately, though, it had left Willow feeling a bit alone. John hadn't noticed and while Sam and Dean had engaged in small talk with her, there hadn't really been an opportunity for her to really bond with them. If Willow was honest with herself, her two oldest brothers intimidated her a bit. She knew that they would never hurt her but they were so much older and taller than she was and even through they were relatives, they were still guys and Willow had never been good at talking to guys. (Xander and Jesse were the exception because she'd known then for so long.)

She knew that she needed to get used to the feeling… she was the youngest child and the only girl… of course, she was going to be the outcast but it still hurt a little. Not for the first time, Willow wished that she was sociable and confident like Buffy and then it wouldn't be so bad.

"Willow." Someone was knocking on the bathroom door. Willow startled and jumped up, hurrying to open the door, making sure that it was not obvious that she wasn't happy as she reached for the doorknob. Her mask firmly in place, she opened the door, smiling nervously up at Sam… God, why was he so tall? she mentally asked herself.

"How bad is it?" she asked in a hushed whisper. Sam laughed.

"Not too bad," he reassured her.

"Good." Willow came out and sat back on the bed with Xander and Adam.

"Okay, Willow, your nickname will be Mouse because you're the quiet one."

"Mouse?" Willow said. It wasn't that bad, she reasoned. It could have been worse. She actually kind of liked it. It didn't single her out as the youngest or the only girl but it was connected to a personality trait of hers. She was happy about that.

"Yep," Xander grinned. Willow shrugged.

"It's not bad, I kind of like it."

"Great," Dean shrugged before he switched the television on, flopping down on his and Sam's bed, all pretence of the importance of the situation gone. Adam, Xander and Willow exchanged confused looks.

What the heck had just happened?

**A.N. Yes, I'm back. Here it is, the much anticipated (from the reviews and pm's I got) sequel to Road Trip: The beginning. I hope you enjoy this story. I anticipate that this story will be finished by the end of January, so i will be posting regularly, probably at least once a week, if not more frequently than that.**

**Please review, as your input and advice improves my story writing abilities.**

**R.W. **


	2. Chapter 2

Willow got up and let Adam and Xander have the bed to themselves, sitting instead at the table and chairs in the room, flicking through a tourist pamphlet without much interest. She didn't notice Sam until he sat down opposite her at the table.

"So, Xander tells us you're scared of frogs," he began. Willow smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, please don't tell me that you almost called me Frog or something like that?"

"Dean considered it but Xander and I talked him out of it. I threatened to tell you all about what he's scared of."

"Dean doesn't strike me as the type to be scared of anything," Willow smiled and leaned forward. Sam leaned forward too.

"Oh, you've never seen him near a plane. Dean's petrified of flying," he whispered. Willow bit her lip to stop herself from giggling.

"Flying? Really? Xander is scared of clowns. He won't go anywhere near them."

"Weird, I am too," Sam admitted.

"You and Xander should get together, 'Winchesters Against Clowns' or something like that." Willow smiled. Sam laughed.

"What are you two girls talking about?' Dean asked from where he lay.

"Nothing," Sam and Willow replied in unison. Dean and Xander exchanged looks.

"That was just a little creepy, you know that, right?" Xander told them.

"Yep," Willow and Sam replied before turning their backs on the rest of the family and continuing their discussion.

"So, what else is there to know about Willow Rosenberg? Almost everything we know about you, we've learned from Dad or Xander, none from you. I know that this is kind of weird but I promise that you don't need to go in depth," Sam said. Willow smiled before looking over her shoulder where Dean, Adam and Xander were cheering, having found a channel showing some football game. Willow knew for a fact that Xander had little interest in football but he looked happy, so she said nothing.

"Do you want to head out for a bit?" Sam said as Dean turned up the volume on the TV. Willow nodded.

"Okay. Hey, Dean, Willow and I are going to get some fresh air for a bit," Sam called.

"Look after her, stay close," Dean replied. Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's usual over-protectiveness before Sam and Willow slipped out of the room. Sam leaned against the front of the Impala and gestured that Willow should lean against the car beside him.

"So, what's the first lesson of Willow Rosenberg 101?" he asked. Willow shrugged.

"I don't know… I'm fifteen, I was born in LA, grew up in Sunnydale. I met Xander on the first day on kindergarten. I was crying because I broke my yellow crayon and he gave me his and the rest is, as they say, history," Willow began. Sam was obviously fighting the urge to laugh at that little story.

"I wouldn't tell Dean that," he advised.

Willow nodded, "Thanks for the tip. Anyway, I went to Sunnydale elementary school with Xander and we met Jesse when we were in second grade. We were inseparable. The Three Musketeers. We weren't the popular kids, we got picked on a lot, especially by the popular kids, but we were pretty happy. I spent most of my time with them, helping them get through school."

"What about your parents? Dad said that Ira was an okay sort of guy, but that your mom wasn't so nice."

Willow flinched. "My mom values her career above most things in her life… me included. I was convenient and she valued that. It made her theories about children's development more plausible if she talked about how the practices she used had made me more independent and a better student. My dad… well. He's not like John. John is a strong kind of guy. My dad… Ira, well, he isn't. He used to let mom walk all over him. He's spent most of my life touring the world attending conferences and meetings. My mom is a world famous child psychologist, you see, and my dad is a rabbi, oh, that's something I can tell you about me… I'm Jewish, well, but I'm not really practicing… I don't do the whole kosher thing but at the same time Christmas is not a big deal for me. It never has been. Anyway, so my parents spend most of the time out of the country."

"What happened to you when they were gone?" Sam frowned.

Willow sighed. "When I was little they stayed around more… one would stay home if the other was out of the country but by the time I was six, they were both gone for months on end and I had a live-in nanny staying with me. By the time I was eight, my mom decided that I was old enough and independent enough to look after myself, so they shortened their trips again, only a week or so at a time at first and when they were gone, I looked after myself. This last year I think they've been home for a total of about six weeks off and on over the entire year, so I kind of raised myself."

Sam's jaw was hanging open. He had thought that John had been an absent parent when he and Dean were growing up… but Willow had it much worse. Dean had told him that Willow's parents had been absent for most of her life but he'd never realized it was so bad.

"I'm sorry, Willow. If dad had known, he would have done something… anything to get you out of there. No one should have to go through something like that."

Willow shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'll be eighteen in a few years… and then it won't mean a thing. Please don't tell John… If he does something, it'll mean I'll have to leave Sunnydale… and Xander and Buffy and my school and everything and I don't want that,"

"Okay, okay, I won't tell John, I promise. Can I tell Dean though? He and I are really close, like you and Xander are. I don't want to keep something like this from him."

Willow nodded. "But he's not allowed to tell either."

"Gotcha, so, tell me about your friends… is there any boyfriends that Dean and I need to talk to?"

Willow choked. "No, oh God no. I don't talk to boys, well, except for Xander and you and the others and Jesse, well, not so much Jesse anymore, but, yes, no boys. I wasn't allowed to have boys in my room after ten, it was my mom's strictest rule. I was convinced the neighbors were spying on me when she was gone, so I never even tried it… except for that one time that Angel came over looking for that favor… never mind. So, yeah, no boyfriends," Willow babbled. Sam nodded, satisfied that Willow was telling the truth. He hadn't been joking about boyfriends. He pitied the first boy that Willow introduced to the family. Between John and Dean (and himself, if Sam was honest), whoever it was would be running in no time.

"Why do you say that you don't talk to Jesse anymore?" Sam asked, changing the subject onto more even ground. Willow ducked her eyes.

"He died… about six months ago."

So much for even ground, Sam though to himself as he mentally kicked himself in the arse. "I'm sorry, Willow. I didn't know. What happened?"

"Well, he went missing one night from the local teen hangout… was last seen following a girl out. He was never seen again but I know that he's gone. I can feel it," Willow lied. It wasn't all a lie… some of it was the truth but it wasn't the whole truth.

"It must have been horrible," Sam sympathized.

"It was. So, that's it for Willow 101. What's lesson one for Sam Winchester 101?" Willow asked. Sam chuckled, knowing that Willow would eventually turn the tables on him. She was obviously clever enough to tell him enough to make him feel satisfied that he'd achieved something but at the same time keeping enough to herself to make her feel secure. After asking her about her recently deceased friend, Sam decided that he owed Willow some facts about him.

"Um, my mom died in a house fire when I was six months old. Don't mention that in front of Dad or Dean though, it's a sensitive subject for them," he told her. Willow nodded solemnly.

"I won't mention it in front of them, I promise."

"I pretty much grew up in the back of the impala. We traveled a lot when I was growing up, for dad's work. He was away a bit… but not nearly as much as your parents and Dean was a bit like my surrogate dad, even though he's only four years older than me. When I finished high school, I applied to lots of colleges because I wanted to experience a normal life. I got accepted at Stanford, full ride. Dad hit the roof. At the time, well, putting the family first meant staying together, no matter what, and Dad and I had been yelling at each other about that since I was about fifteen. In the end, he told me to leave and not come back, so I did. I went to Stanford and didn't contact him or Dean for four years." Sam faded off.

"Wow, Stanford…" Willow said, although her gut was churning. She'd always planned on attending a college, although she had no idea which one but if it meant not having contact with her family for the entirety of her college studies, she wasn't so keen on the idea. Sam must have sensed what she was thinking because he quickly spoke again.

"Of course, it would be different for you guys," he added. "I mean, you guys have all grown up away from us, so it's different. He'd be really happy if any of you got into college. It was just the situation he was in with me at that point… I think that he was kind of scared that if I went off to college and left him and Dean, I'd get hurt and you know, after what happened with my mom and everything…" Sam shrugged. Willow nodded, relaxing.

"I've always planned on going to college but I have no idea which one though. I want to do something to do with computers. I'm good with computers… I've been writing programs and selling them online for the last year."

"Impressive," Sam grinned, genuinely pleased that his little sister had a talent like that. It was something that would always be useful; it wasn't like the world was going to stop using computers at any point in the near future.

Willow shrugged. "It gives me something to do in my downtime when I'm not at school or hanging out with Xander and Buffy."

Sam nodded understandingly and they fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the distant rumble of trucks on a not-so-distant highway and closer at hand, the chirping of crickets.

"How are you going with everything, you know… finding out about us and everything?" Sam asked. Willow shrugged, her distress from earlier that evening still fresh in her mind.

"I'd be lying if I told you that I was fine with it. I mean, everything's happened so suddenly. This time last week I was Ira Rosenberg's daughter and I was an only child… now I'm John Winchester's daughter and I have four older half-brothers… one of whom is the guy that has been my best friend from when we were little and I'm on a road trip with them all."

"Sounds like it was a stupid question when you put it like that," Sam admitted sheepishly. Willow shook her head.

"But it wasn't. You don't know me… and I don't know you and it's different for you."

"True," Sam conceded, "but still, you know what I mean."

"I just need some time to get used to everything… to get used to John and you and Dean and Adam."

"I suppose going from an only child to the youngest of five would be a big jump to make." Sam smiled.

Willow nodded. "It's not just that," she said, deciding at that moment that she trusted Sam. She saw herself in the taller man and realized that he was like her, quiet and not the most social of people.

"What is it?" Sam asked, concern seeping into his voice.

"I have no idea what my place is in this family. I mean, I know I'm the youngest and that I'm the only girl… but what does that mean? Xander and Adam have become friends really fast… which is great... Xander hasn't had a good guy friend since Jesse but…"

"But you've been left behind," Sam finished, understanding where Willow came from. She hadn't spent nearly enough time with him and Dean to feel close to them and she was right, Adam and Xander had already become good friends. Given the recent death of Xander's only male friend, Willow hadn't wanted to get involved and had therefore been stuck on her own.

Willow blinked and turned away in shame as a tear rolled down her cheek, hoping that Sam hadn't seen the moisture in her eyes. The gentle but at the same time large hand on her back dashed her hopes.

"It's okay, Willow." Sam said softly. Willow let out a soft sob. She was so weak. How on earth was she related to tough guys like Dean and Sam and John? She was a blubbering mess… a crybaby.

"Come here," Sam said softly, wrapping his long arms around her shoulders comfortingly, pulling her a little closer to him. Something in Willow snapped and she wanted to be close to him… to feel what it felt like to be comforted by one of her big brothers when she was upset. She turned on the car hood and buried her face in Sam's chest as he held her tight, rubbing her back gently. She missed the look of pride on Sam's face as he tried comforting her, just like Dean had comforted him when he'd been small. This was what being a big brother was all about. It made the whole twisted situation real for him. He had three younger siblings that he had to watch over and look out for, just like Dean had done for him ever since Sam could remember.

He looked up when he heard the familiar rumble of his father's truck as it turned into the motel and parked beside the Impala and Willow pulled away a little, her eyes red and her cheeks tear-stained. She sniffed.

"I got your shirt wet," she said apologetically. Sam honestly hadn't noticed the wetness of his shirt, so he just shrugged.

"Doesn't matter," he told her as John got out of the truck, eyeing them curiously, especially when he saw that Willow had been crying. She was still tucked up close to Sam and John's second eldest still had his arms around his baby sister. Something had obviously happened, although John was glad that Willow and Sam had bonded a little

"You two okay?"

"Yes, we're fine," Sam told his father, but at the same time giving his father a significant look. John nodded.

"Right, well, when you two are ready, I've got food and don't take too long. Knowing your brothers, there won't be anything left."

"Thanks," Sam smiled. John nodded and headed into the room. Willow sniffed and began to use her sleeve to wipe her eyes and her face.

"He's right. If Xander's anything like the others, there will be no food left. Can you tell that I've been crying?"

Sam had a good look at Willow's face. He couldn't see anything that indicated that the teenager had been crying.

"You're good," he told her

"Thanks… for everything, Sam." Willow smiled up at him

"Anytime, Willow." Sam replied. They both got off the Impala and headed inside to the rest of their family. As Sam closed the door, he saw the enquiring look Dean shot in his direction but shook his head. Dean nodded and went back to getting his food ready. Sam smiled and approached the table. He felt like a big brother now. He might have technically been one since he was seven years old and he'd known that he was one for a few weeks, but now, for the first time, he felt like it.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, who's going with whom in what?" John asked the next morning as they packed up their gear. He and Dean had looked over a map and picked out the town they would end up at that evening, so that if the two parties were separated then they would still end up in the same location.

"I'll take Sammy, Xander and Willow, so you and Adam can spend some time together if you want," Dean offered. Sam shrugged and Adam grinned at the prospect of having one-on-one time with John, rather than having his two younger siblings around. Xander nodded weakly. He hadn't spent that much time with Dean and Sam and Willow had spent even less time with Dean. Neither of them had ridden in the Impala yet and although he was looking forward to it, Xander was still nervous about spending the full day with Dean and Sam. Willow too looked nervous but Xander saw the look she sent at Sam, who gave her a reassuring nod and a smile, which seemed to boost Willow's confidence.

John nodded, happy that everyone was content with the travel arrangements. They quickly finished packing their bags, Dean and Sam finishing much quicker than their younger siblings, due to the fact they'd grown up moving in and out of motel rooms. Eventually they were all packed and the two cars were loaded. Adam got into his father's truck while John went to return the room key. Willow and Xander cautiously approached the Impala. Sam had already gotten in, and Dean was watching them with a smirk on his face.

"Come on, I don't bite and neither does the car," he told them. Xander opened the car door and let Willow get in first, so she would be behind Sam. Then Xander got in and closed the door. Dean, still smirking and shaking his head at Willow and Xander's cautious approach, got into the driver's seat as Sam smiled reassuringly over his shoulder at his two youngest siblings.

"Don't worry, he's not an ass all the time," he grinned.

"Shut up, bitch," Dean sniped, turning the key in the ignition and revving the motor before he put the car out of reverse and drove from the motel parking lot.

"Okay, rules of riding in the Impala," Dean began as he drove out of the small town where they were staying. "First rule, driver chooses the music, passengers shut their cake holes." Willow and Xander nodded in unison – it made logical sense to them. Sammy, however, was rolling his eyes.

"Second rule, no back seat driving."

"You're not going to hear it from us," Xander smiled.

"Why's that?' Dean asked.

"Neither of us can drive, we've never been taught." Willow shrugged. Dean frowned. Willow he understood, she was only fifteen after all, but Xander he thought would have begun learning.

"Any reason why?" Dean asked curiously. Xander shrugged and ducked his head.

"I don't have anyone to teach me," Xander admitted. Dean focused on the road ahead of him, mentally cursing at his stupidity. He'd had the pleasure of meeting Jess Harris once and he'd gotten the impression that Tony Harris was a worse father than John. Of course, the kid wouldn't have anyone to teach him to drive.

Dean's thoughts flew back to the day they'd all left Sunnydale. Willow, Xander, and the Winchesters had all arranged to meet outside Willow's parents' house and yet, when Dean had parked the Impala behind his father's truck in front of the house, Xander and Willow had been waiting there with a single other person, the librarian from their school who Dean had instinctively known cared about them more than any of the teenager's stepfathers – or their mothers for that matter.

Xander and Willow had put their bags in the back of John's truck before they'd hugged the librarian, a man by the name of Giles if Dean recalled correctly, goodbye, surprising the man, who had ducked his gaze and furiously polished his glasses, trying to hide his emotions as Willow and Xander had promised to look after themselves and one another and that if they needed something, they would call. Giles had waved as the teens had left before he'd walked to his own car and headed off in the opposite direction.

"Maybe we'll do something about that this summer," Dean said.

Xander coughed. "Seriously?"

"Why not? Between us, Dad and I have been driving for a long time. We know what we're doing." Dean grinned, glancing at his youngest brother's face in the mirror. Xander was beaming.

"Cool, that would be kind of awesome."

Willow was smiling too. It was a shame that she wouldn't turn sixteen until after school was back, a downside of having started school early, but if this trip went well, then maybe there might be a repeat trip next summer when she could be taught how to drive. She knew her parents wouldn't bother and there wasn't anyone else she knew of that could teach her… Well, there was Giles but Willow didn't know how that would go… Giles had only recently figured out driving on the right side of the road instead of the left, after all.

It was something that she could look forward to at least, assuming things went well during the current road trip.

Dean, however, was frowning and she saw him shuffle through a box of cassette tapes. He selected one and put it into the cassette player of the Impala, cranking up the volume.

"Learning to drive can wait, though. You guys need to learn about good music first," he told them. As the first, very loud bars of Metallica began to emit from the speakers Sam groaned dramatically and face-palmed while Xander and Willow exchanged a significant look.

It was going to be an interesting ride.

SPN/BtVS

Dean drummed his hands on the steering wheel in time with the music, keeping one eye on the road and the other eye on the two teenagers in the back seat. Xander and Willow didn't look at all alike. Willow had inherited most of her looks from her mother with the exception of her eyes, which were very similar to Dean's own eyes. Xander, on the other hand, strongly resembled John. Dean knew that at first he had commented on the resemblance between Sammy and Xander but now that time had passed and he'd spent more time taking in the younger teenaged boy, he thought that Xander was far more like John than he was like Sam.

Speaking of Sam, Dean glanced over at the eldest of his little brothers. Sam was gazing thoughtfully out of the car, his eyes unfocused and far away. Dean frowned. While it wasn't unusual for his brother to be quiet during road trips, he would have thought Sam would have been a bit more talkative, especially since Sam had been the one to whisper to him that morning that they should try to get to know Xander and Willow better and give Adam and their father one-on-one time. Dean had reasoned that Sam had a point and that had been why he'd offered to take the youngest two Winchesters for the day.

Dean was willing to bet that Sam's sudden desire to get to know Willow and Xander stemmed from Sam and Willow's little talk the previous night. After they had come back inside to eat, Sam had been very quiet and thoughtful but he and Dean hadn't had the opportunity to talk about it, not without their father with John and the teenagers overhearing what they were saying.

Glancing in the rear vision mirror, Dean looked at the pair in the back seat again, unable to get over how young and innocent they looked. While it was true that by the time he and Sammy reached their age they'd both been hunting for quite some time and, in Dean's case, were in no way innocent, Xander and Willow had grown up untouched by the life that Dean and Sam had lived since their early childhood.

Dean knew that he should do more with the younger members of the family but the truth was he didn't know how to do that without involving the hunt for the supernatural. Sure, he could interact with adults normally but these were kids… and not just kids, they were his younger siblings, his younger brothers and his baby sister. He had no idea what to do and frankly, it peeved him off.

Not for the first time, Dean wondered what would happen if the Yellow-Eyed Demon came back while they had the teenagers with them or even just an ordinary supernatural threat. John, Dean, and Sam were all well-known by the demonic community after all. By involving the younger kids, by taking them away from the security of their hometowns and bringing them out, openly recognizing them as members of the Winchester clan, by blood if not by name, Dean couldn't help but feel that they had been made targets. He wasn't about to say anything to John, knowing that it would be seen as questioning orders, but Dean figured it was only going to be a matter of time before the shit hit the fan and one or more of the teenagers were attacked. He only hoped that one of the senior Winchesters was around at that time to prevent a tragedy. John had already lost his wife; Dean didn't want to find out how his father would react to the loss of one of his children.

Losing one of them had always been a risk, especially with Dean and Sam involved in hunting, but Adam, Xander, and Willow hadn't been completely safe either. It would only take a car accident, an illness, an accident, or a random attack from a demon – or hell, a human – and the life of one of the teenagers would have been snuffed out before they'd had the chance to meet their older siblings.

Dean sobered at that thought. Human life was so fragile. Who knew how long any of them would have left? Dean knew that if he wanted to have a chance at getting to know his younger siblings, this could well be his only chance.

"So, what was growing up in Sunnydale like?"

"It was fine, you know, typical Californian town," Willow replied.

"School, parks, playgrounds, the movie theater, the mall, the Bronze once we were old enough." Xander listed the places he and Willow frequented.

"Aw, hey, Sammy, can't you imagine these guys playing in a sandbox together?" Dean grinned. Sam snorted at that, drawn from his brooding.

"Yeah, cute," Sam agreed.

"Hey, I'm sure we aren't the only ones that played in sandboxes," Xander protested.

"Yeah, I'd bet John has a story or two about you two growing up and doing cute things," Willow added. Dean and Sam couldn't contain their snorts of laughter at that.

"I doubt it," Sam muttered, not meaning for Xander and Willow to be able to hear him but they did, although they said nothing about it, sensing that there was a sensitive issue underlying the comment.

"Ah, none that you're going to hear. It's the privilege of being the eldest," Dean teased the pair in the backseat.

"Aww," Xander whined, pouting his lips.

Willow giggled in amusement at the banter between Dean and Xander. Dean was the kind of person she would have avoided at all costs in Sunnydale but with him being her brother and them being on this road trip together, Willow realized that although Dean projected a 'I'm very dangerous and badass' type of vibe, he was still very funny… and, Willow was willing to bet, he would be highly overprotective of the rest of his family. She had seen it already with Sam but, given time, she figured that the overprotectiveness would extend to Adam, Xander, and herself.

Which wouldn't necessarily be a good thing if they encountered a vampire or something like that, since Willow was pretty sure that Dean would jump in and try to protect Willow and Xander if they went and tried to stake it.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean knew from the moment he walked through the door of the motel room and saw the look on his father's face that something was wrong... that a hunt had come up. Before John Winchester even opened his mouth, Dean was shaking his head.

"No, Dad."

"You didn't even hear what it was I had to say," John protested.

"I know that look, Dad, and I'm not going to take it. We aren't going to do it," Dean argued.

"Why? You're the one who wanted things to go back to normal after the accident... to start hunting again."

"Yeah, and you and Bobby overruled me... you said that you... we needed to do this. We needed to be a real family... just this once."

"What does Bobby have to do with this?"

"He said that Sammy needed this... a break from everything. He was right. Have you seen how much better he's been ever since he met the kids?"

"He doesn't have to come... if I recall, you and I worked together perfectly well when he was too young to come with us and after he went off to Stanford."

"And what about the kids? You wanted to get to know Adam and Xander and we found out about Willow too. We can't spend time with them... like YOU wanted us too if we're on some hunt and don't even suggest that we take them with us. They have to grow up away from all of this. They could get killed because of this. They haven't lost their mother because of the supernatural, it's not their fight."

"Dean... you know as well as anyone that we all have reputations. The kids... they were involved the moment we got back in contact with them," John admitted. "We were kidding ourselves. It's only a matter of time before some damn demon is going to go after them to try and get to us," John snapped.

Dean scowled – he'd always known that Adam, Xander and Willow, would be at an increased level of risk once John had openly made contact with them but hearing John say so out loud made Dean realize how much the Winchesters had endangered the lives of the three teenagers. It was highly possible that at least one, if not all, would die because of John, Dean, and Sam's involvement in the supernatural.

"Which is exactly why we should keep our heads down and focus on protecting them, not go chasing after our hunt."

"People are going to die, Dean... do you know that? This thing has already killed three people... three kids... three teenagers and if we don't do anything, it's going to keep killing people. You know what losing someone close to you is like."

"Exactly... I don't want to go through that again."

"Are you quitting?" John yelled angrily, surprised at Dean. He would have picked Sam to be the one who left the game... he already had left once, after all.

"No. You're the one who suggested this trip and I'm staying with the kids. When they're safely back in their hometowns, I'll happily kill some demons... but not now."

Dean and John glared at one another across the table of the motel room the extended family were staying at. Sam had taken the three younger Winchesters out to get dinner, leaving John and Dean behind. It was supposed to be an opportunity for John and Dean to spend some time together without any of the teenagers underfoot (or Sam for that matter) but instead, they had just had the biggest argument Dean could ever remember he and John having. Sam was the one who usually fought with John, not him.

The door of the motel room creaked open and Sam, Adam, Xander and Willow all walked in, stopping in the doorway, taking in the scene. Xander's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"Er, did I miss something?" Sam asked nervously.

"No, everything's good," Dean said, sending a pointed look at Sam. John blinked and forced himself to calm down, something he knew he was not good at. He knew that Dean was right, that he should be focusing on his younger children and not on a hunt but ever since Mary had died, John's entire world had revolved around fighting the forces of darkness and trying to make sure that no one's family was torn apart like his had been. John was not used to focusing on family and he knew that now that he had spent more time with them, things would have to change.

His family needed him and he was going to have to start being there for them... all of them.

SPN/BtVS

Willow frowned as she ate her dinner, glancing at Xander and Adam to see if they had noticed the tension that seemed to be rolling from the two eldest Winchesters. Dean was refusing to make eye contact with John and when their father spoke, Willow could hear the added strain in John's gruff voice. Something had obviously happened between John and Dean when Sam took Adam, Xander, and Willow to get dinner.

From the looks on their faces, Willow could tell that Xander and Adam knew that something had happened as well, although she got a feeling that both of the other teenaged Winchesters had no idea what the reason for the argument had been. Sam, on the other hand, was a different story. Something in Willow's gut was telling her that somehow Sam was in the loop in regard to the cause of the argument. It made sense really. Within the Winchester clan, there were two distinct groups. The first was made up of the original Winchesters that was John, Dean, and Sam. John had been involved in the boys' life consistently (more or less) since before either of them were born.

On the other side of the metaphorical coin were Adam, Xander, and Willow, results of John Winchester's loneliness and grief following the death of his much loved wife, Mary. Although John had been in contact with Adam off and on for some of the boy's life, before now John had experienced next to no contact with either Xander or Willow and as a result, the senior Winchester was not quite so tightly connected emotionally to his younger children as he was to Dean and Sam.

Willow wondered how her and Xander's lives would have been different had they known about John and, by extension, Dean and Sam. It would have been fun, growing up knowing that Xander was her real, biological half-brother instead of just being her pseudo-brother and best friend. It would have been fun having a cool older brother like Dean and something in Willow smirked with delight at the mental picture of Cordelia having a fit when she saw Dean showing up at Sunnydale Junior High School in the Impala to pick up Xander and Willow for something.

Of course, Willow stopped smirking when she realized that Xander, Sam, and Adam were staring at her. Dean and John were still glaring at each other as if no one else was sitting at the table.

"What was that about?" Xander asked. Willow shrugged.

"Mental picture," she explained. "It was of Cordelia's face when she finds out about this."

Xander snorted, amused by the comment. No doubt the cheerleader would be quite surprised at the news that Xander and Willow were in fact brother and sister and they had three older and kind of attractive brothers.

"Should have a camera pointed at her face for the moment she finds out," he agreed.

"Do you think Sam and Dean would agree to dropping us off at school one morning in the Impala?" Willow giggled and Xander laughed.

"I don't know who will react more, Cordy and her gang or Larry and his gang when they see the Impala." Xander's comment made him and Willow both laugh again.

Adam looked from his younger brother to his younger sister, feeling a little out of it. Like his younger siblings, Adam was aware of the two subgroups within the extended Winchester family. Adam wasn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a member of the 'original Winchester' group, as Xander had taken to calling the three eldest family members behind their backs but at the same time, Adam wasn't really a member of the 'Sunnydale twins' as Dean had labeled the youngest two members of the family. It was nobody's fault but Adam still felt like the outsider of both groups. He figured that was why he, out of all the younger generation, spent the most time with John. While it was true that Adam and Xander got along really well, it was still obvious to the entire family that Xander and Willow were best friends and probably always would be. That, unfortunately, left Adam stranded in the middle of the two subgroups.

"No... It'll be Buffy. She'll flip out when she sees us getting dropped off by Dean and Sam and Adam," Willow put in and both she and Xander cracked up. Adam looked at Sam and they both shrugged, neither one having any idea what on earth the younger two Winchesters were talking about.

John too was thoroughly confused by the animated conversation taking place between his two youngest... but he was grateful for it. It had successfully distracted everyone else from the discussion... or rather, the argument that he and Dean had been sharing. Sure, Dean was still shooting rather pointed glared at John but at least the tension in the air was not nearly so thick and John hoped that the youngest family members, at least, would forget about the argument. This was supposed to be a fun summer holiday and John didn't want it to be affected by an argument between him and Dean. At the same time, though, John wanted to go hunting and defeat the beast that was terrorizing the next town... the one that had killed three high school students in the past two weeks.

John couldn't imagine what the parents of those three kids were going through. John would give his life to save any of his children... he nearly had done so just a few short weeks before. John didn't even want to think about how painful to would be if something had happened to any of his children... although he had to admit, he was more worried about the 'younger set' than Dean and Sam. The elder two, for one, were experienced fighters, even when they were high-school-aged.

Adam, Xander, and Willow, on the other hand, had no training and John shuddered as he imagined turning up at Jessica's house to find that Xander had been killed by some demon... or learning about his paternity of Willow but then finding out he would never meet his daughter because she had been killed by the same forces of darkness that he had vowed to battle for as long as he lived... or learning from Adam's mother that their son... the child that John had fought to keep hidden from the supernatural world, even going to the length of not telling Dean and Sam about him, had ended up dead by supernatural hands anyway.

It was the nightmare that had plagued John ever since he had learned of the supernatural's existence, all those years ago in the aftermath of Mary's death.

From where he sat, Dean watched the banter between his youngest siblings. Despite the fact that it was light-hearted teasing, it still made Dean's heart feel cold. Adam, Xander, and Willow were all so innocent... they knew nothing of the supernatural, of the danger posed to them by creatures such as the one terrorizing local high school students... just like the three youngest members of Dean's family.

There was nothing that could be done to save the three teenagers that had already been killed and in his head, Dean saw their bodies ripped to pieces, their faces gone, shadowy figures crouched over them, feasting on the teenagers' flesh. Then, subconsciously, Dean put faces on the teens. One became Adam, another became Xander, and the last became Willow until it was the bodies of his three youngest siblings that the monsters were feasting upon... while Dean stood by and did nothing, despite the pleading looks this youngest siblings were sending him through cold, vacant eyes. Dean blinked and he was back in the motel room, eating dinner with his family, but the mental picture lingered on in Dean's mind.

Dean surveyed the three youngest members of his family, who were blissfully unaware of the dangers that came with being a member of the Winchester family... who had no idea of what really made things go bump in the night. In his mind, he made a decision and Dean waited until after dinner, when the three teenagers were comfortably stretched out on the couch, watching TV, that he approached John.

"Alright... we'll get this son of a bitch... but after that, we're staying with the kids until they head back home... no more hunting after this... alright?"

John nodded and both he and Dean began to plan the hunt that soon would be taking place.


	5. Chapter 5

"Does anyone else think that they wanted us out of the way for a reason?" Adam asked as he, Xander, and Willow walked out of the movie theater in the town where they were staying.

Xander and Willow both nodded in agreement. "Not that I minded, because I've been wanting to see that movie since it got announced that they were making it," Xander said. "But yeah... I did kind of get that feeling."

Willow shrugged. She was used to it... being away from her parents... or whoever it was that was supposed to be spending time with her. She had long ago lost count of the number of times her parents had promised to do something with her and then it hadn't happened. She had lost count of the number of times she was brushed away by her parents so they could do something else... something for their respective careers or even just something that suited their own agenda better. While her father... step-father... wasn't nearly as bad as her mother, Willow had always known that neither of her parents regarded her as a priority in their lives.

It was why she hadn't been surprised when John had approached them one afternoon and suggested that, since they would be leaving town the next day, maybe they would like to do some 'teenager stuff' and go out for dinner and go and see at a movie since they had been spending so much time with 'old people'.

While it was a far nicer way of doing it than Willow's parents had gone about telling Willow that they didn't want her around anymore, Willow could read between the lines and just accepted the fact that John obviously had found something better to do this evening than spend time with his three youngest children. She had noticed, however, that Dean and Sam had stayed with John... and Willow prayed that her older two brother's involvement and the exclusion of the teenagers was not an indication that alcohol would be involved. She didn't know how Xander would handle it if John came home roaring drunk... just like Tony Harris did most nights.

"How long do we have until we're supposed to be back at the motel?" Adam asked, having forgotten to wear a watch.

"We've still got half an hour... plenty of time to walk home," Xander said. Willow caught the hint of apprehension in his voice but she ignored it. She too felt worried about the idea of walking back to the motel in the dark... even though the route was well-lit. John had offered to lend Adam his truck for the night but Adam had insisted that the three teenagers would be okay walking back to the motel... it was a small town and it wasn't that far.

Still, as they had walked towards the pizza place where they ate dinner and on their way to the movie theater, she and Xander had paid particular attention to potential vampire hiding spots and Willow knew that Xander had slipped a couple of crosses and some holy water, as well as a few stakes, into his backpack. Willow herself had a stake in her bag but she hoped that it would go unneeded... it wasn't as if they were in Sunnydale after all.

"Hey... since we have a bit of time, do you want to go and check out that park?" Adam suggested. "I feel like I've been cooped up for ages... I want to run around for a bit."

"I thought you were one of the nerdy kids... like us?" Xander said. "I didn't realize you were athletic."

Adam shrugged. "I exercise every day. Dad... John, he really drummed it into me that being fit is important... that if someone tries to grab you, the best bet is being able to run until you get somewhere that you feel safe... no matter how far it might be."

Willow and Xander nodded in understanding. Buffy had once told them something similar... and it wasn't like demons and vampires where the only monsters out there... humans could be dangerous too.

"I guess we'll be okay," Willow commented cautiously. "I just don't want to be late... John will worry and I've already missed curfew once this year... that's my yearly quota for rebellion filled."

Xander and Adam both laughed at Willow before all three of them crossed the street and entered the park. Out of the corner of her eye, Willow noticed Xander flexing his shoulder, as if he was preparing to drop his bag and retrieve the weaponry concealed inside.

Subconsciously, Willow drew a little closer to her brothers. Adam stretched his knees before jogging across the grass of the park, leaving Xander and Willow alone.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Willow whispered. Xander nodded.

"Trust me, you're not the only one. Keep your eyes open."

Willow nodded before, side by side, she and Xander followed their older brother into the park.

BtVS/SPN

Things in the Impala were tense. Sam, crammed into the back seat, had a new appreciation for what Dean went through during Sam's teenage years when Sam and John frequently clashed.

In the front seat, Dean and John sat in icy silence. Their hunt had proved unsuccessful and it appeared that the thing they were hunting, a vampire… or rather, as small group of vampires, was moving around. The previous night, there had been several attacks in two nearby towns, resulting in the deaths of another two teenagers as well as a middle aged couple that were out walking their dog and a trio of college-aged kids getting high in an alleyway. All of the victims had been drained of their blood.

Still, Sam reasoned there was good reason for things to be tense. John had been relying on the knowledge that the vampires were staying in the one town but now that they had started roaming into other towns, all three older Winchesters knew that there was a chance that Adam, Xander, and Willow could be put in danger. Dean was pushing the speed limit, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. Sam could hear John berating himself for letting the kids leave the motel room on their own... and for not making them take his truck with them on their trip to the movies.

For his part, Sam hoped that the teens... his younger siblings... were already safe back at the motel, perhaps laughing and talking about something they had seen during the movie they had gone to watch, blissfully unaware of the danger they had exposed to.

The Impala skidded a little on loose gravel as Dean turned into the motel, skidding to a halt in the parking space beside John's truck. Sam felt his veins turn to ice as he saw the darkened windows of the motel room.

"Maybe they've gone to bed already," Dean suggested without much conviction as John threw himself out of the car and quickly unlocked the motel room door, throwing the door open and flicking the lights on.

"Adam! Xander! Willow!" John called, both Dean and Sam able to hear the pain, the all-encompassing fear evident in the voice of their father. Sam walked into the motel room behind John, his heart clenching painfully as he realized what John had realized within moments of calling the teenager's names.

"They... they're not here," John said in a soft voice, his voice thick with fear and with pain at the prospect of losing his youngest three children so soon after reestablishing... or establishing, whatever the case may be, contact with them.

"We'll find them, Dad," Sam promised even as Dean threw the trunk of the Impala open and began retrieving weaponry. John nodded, determination crossing his features, pushing past Sam to join Dean. Sam closed the motel door, pausing only to leave a scrawled note where the teens would see it the moment they walked through the door.

CALL DAD, DEAN, OR SAM THE MOMENT YOU GET HOME! DO NOT LEAVE THE MOTEL ROOM!

Satisfied that one of the teens would call if they got back to the room, Sam went and got his weapons from Dean before his older brother closed the Impala, locking it securely. John had already left, walking towards the movie theater by the most direct route and the younger two Winchesters ran to catch up.

"They won't be far away, Dad. We'll find them," Dean said reassuringly. "They've got good heads on their shoulders... they'll be okay."

"They've got good heads alright... but they don't have hunters' skills... and that's what I'm worried about," John muttered in reply.

BtVS/SPN

"We should head back," Willow suggested to Adam and Xander. "It's kind of creepy out here."

Xander made a show of rolling his eyes, even though he agreed completely with Willow. He knew what she was trying to do. She was over a year younger than Adam and she was a girl. Adam was more likely to listen to her pleas than he was to Xander.

Adam sighed but nodded. "Okay... I maintain that we gave you the right name. You really are like a little mouse... scared of shadows."

Willow swallowed the retort that was on her lips at Adam's remark. She understood his reluctance to head back to the motel room... even she was beginning to feel cooped up and wanted to go and explore and see places but the remark had still stung. Xander, however, sensed her aggravation and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Willow... he didn't mean it."

"Yeah... he did," Willow replied, brushing Xander's hand off her shoulder and following Adam towards the road that would take them back to the motel.

Adam, however, stopped when two figures walked into the park towards them. The light from a street light illuminated its face and Willow fought the urge to gulp as she took in the disfigured features on the two figures' faces... the lumps and bumps, the golden eyes, and the elongated teeth that marked them as what they really were.

Vampires.

"Adam, run!" Xander yelled and Adam turned and bolted back towards his younger siblings. Willow latched onto his arm and started running, pulling him away from the vampire. She looked up ahead at the entrance at the other side of the park, only to skid to a stop, seeing another three vampires blocking it.

"Xander!" She screamed

"Oh, God," Xander yelped, taking in what had gotten Willow's attention. He let his backpack slide down his arm, crouching down and hastily zipping it open. Putting herself beside Xander and pushing Adam back towards the brick fence that ran down the sides of the park, Willow reached out a hand, forgetting in her terror that she had a stake in her purse. Xander passed a stake and a cross up to Willow before taking a stake and tucking it into his belt and then taking another stake and vial of holy water in his hands.

"What the hell?" Adam said as the vampires drew closer, smirking at one another... none of their other prey had even tried to put up a fight.

"Now probably isn't the time to tell you that vampires exist," Xander told Adam as he rose back to his feet, putting his bag back on his back. "But, hey, guess what, vampires exist."

"Really... you don't say. I just thought that they were high on some weird drug, or something."

"You actually thought that?" Willow asked, thinking of the 'gang members on PCP' excuse favored by Sunnydale police.

"Well... what else was I supposed to think? Not all of us automatically think of the supernatural."

Willow and Xander looked at one another and Xander arched his eyebrow.

"I am so telling Buffy about this," he told her. Willow gave a nod before glancing back at the advancing vampires.

"Er, maybe we'll focus on surviving this... then we'll discuss what we're going to tell Buffy?' she suggested.

"Good plan," Xander conceded, pushing Adam back again safely. Willow passed Adam the cross she had been holding and grabbed her spare stake out of her handbag.

"If one of them grabs you, shove it in their face or press it against their bare skin. It burns them," Xander told his older brother calmly, as if this was perfectly normal. Well, it was, for Xander and Willow... not so much for Adam.

"Okay," Adam replied, suddenly realizing as the vampires drew closer and he could see their features more clearly that this wasn't a prank... this was real. Of course, the blood stains on the vampire's clothes and the dried blood around their mouths helped with the train of thought.

Hearing the apprehension in her brother's voice, Willow glanced over her shoulder at him, observing the white-knuckled grip he had in the weaponry he had been given.

"It would be great if you didn't pass out too," she told him, observing his pale face. Adam nodded.

"I'll remember that," he told her.

"Good," Willow nodded before returning her attention to the approaching vampires.

"Tasty little things want to fight," one of the vampires drawled. "I guess they don't realize that we're already dead, therefore we can't die again."

"Obviously you guys haven't heard of the Slayer," Xander grinned before jumping forward, stakes out. The confused expression on the face of the vampire who had spoken would forever be burned into Adam's mind, especially as the vampire disintegrated into dust mere moments later.

"Oh, my God," he yelled in shock, jumping back against the brick wall. The other vampires, who had stopped their advance upon their comrade's demise, lunged forward, jerked out their stupor by the sound of Adam's voice. Xander began to wrestle one of them while Willow stood in front of Adam, fending off another vampire.

A hard kick to the knee of her vampire gave Willow the upper hand and she took advantage of it, plunging a stake into its heart as it stumbled, taking Willow's stake with it and coating Willow in vampire dust. The three remaining vampires growled and renewed their efforts. Xander was struggling with the vampire he was fighting, who appeared to be the ringleader of the group of vampires, while Willow dodged the advances of the two other vampires while at the same time staying protectively near Adam. Xander too wasn't leaving their older brother's side, since Adam obviously had no idea what was going on... and probably would have little chance of defending himself if one of the vampires did get a hold of him.

Of course, Xander and Willow themselves only had six months' experience fighting the supernatural... but they had both learned a lot in those few months and Xander felt that even the six months' experience he and Willow had was better than nothing, like Adam.

Willow and Xander were absorbed in their respective fights and by their mutual desire to protect Adam that they, along with the vampires, jumped as the last vampire, who had been trying to advance on Adam, suddenly dusted, a crossbow bolt having pierced its heart from the rear. The vampire Willow was fighting took advantage of her surprise, grabbing her by the neck and boldly threw her over a nearby picnic table. Willow let out a short scream before rolling on impact as she hit the dirt on the other side of the table, letting go of her remaining stake when her right arm connected with the hard ground with jarring force.

Glancing around frantically, Willow grabbed at a thin tree branch that lay on the ground nearby, obviously having dropped from the large tree that shaded the picnic table. Using her knee, Willow snapped the branch as the vampire she was fighting gracefully jumped over the table. Willow spun around, still on her knees, and lifted the stick she had been left holding, meeting the vampire's eyes when they widened in shock as she thrust the stick up into its chest, spearing its heart, and dissolving it into dust.

At about the same time, Xander finally managed to defeat his opponent, using a few moves he had learned from watching Buffy in action. He and Willow met each other's gaze, confirming wordlessly that the other was alright before they looked towards the direction the crossbow bolt had come from. Xander's eye widened and Willow hastily threw the stick she was holding away when they saw the very surprised faces of none other than John, Dean, and Sam Winchester... all heavily armed.

"Well... I wasn't expecting that," Xander admitted in a shocked voice.


	6. Chapter 6

Willow and Xander pointedly avoided making eye contact with anyone during the walk back to the motel but even though they kept their eyes lowered, they could both still feel the gaze of the senior Winchesters fixed on them.

As they walked, both Xander and Willow were frantically trying to figure out what had happened. It was obvious that John, Dean, and Sam knew something about vampires and the supernatural in general, judging from the weaponry they were all carrying and the fact that Dean had shot one of the vampires that was attacking the teenagers with a crossbow he was carrying. Willow had briefly contemplated the thought that John was a Watcher but then she had discounted the idea. John Winchester didn't seem the type to be a Watcher... not from Willow's limited experience of the organization, anyway.

Xander, on the other hand, was convinced that he'd taken a blow to the head at some point during the fight and was therefore hallucinating the entire situation because it seemed to be the most likely answer. The chances of the three senior members of the Winchester family also actually being aware of the existence of the supernatural and knowing how to fight against it seemed to be fairly remote, after all.

In contrast to his younger siblings, Adam was actively trying to establish eye contact with John, Dean, and Sam as well as Xander and Willow. It was painfully obvious that he was still struggling to come to terms with what he had just witnessed. John was ignoring his middle child but Dean shot Adam a sympathetic look, knowing that his younger brother's world was about to be turned upside down. Sam put a supportive hand on Adam's shoulder, but shook his head when Adam opened his mouth to ask for an explanation.

"Later... when we're inside," Sam told him and Adam snapped his mouth shut, catching the warning look that Sam was giving him. Adam looked in John's direction and cringed slightly when he saw the look on John's face and the glare he was sending towards his youngest two offspring. It was then that Adam decided that Sam had the right idea and it would be best if he just kept his mouth shut and instead asked the questions that were burning his mind when John wasn't around.

Sam and Dean, for their part, were glad when the group crossed the motel car park. Both of them were curious about how Willow and Xander knew about the supernatural... and it was obvious that the youngest two members of the family did know something about the supernatural... the way they had fought and the absence of surprise on their faces (up until they spotted the elder Winchesters) indicated that this was, by no means, the first time they had fought against vampires. This was even more apparent when Sam and Dean mentally compared the expressions on Willow and Xander's faces and the look on Adam's face.

John sped up a little and unlocked the door, holding it open for the rest of the family. Once Dean, who had been the last one through, was safely inside, John slammed the door and Xander and Willow both flinched at the noise.

"So... do either one of you want to explain what the hell you were doing?" John asked. Xander and Willow exchanged a nervous look.

"Those guys... they just came up to us... They must have been on some form of PCP or something..." Xander began until John glared at him, causing Xander to fade off rather quickly.

"I know what they were, Xander, so don't try and bullshit your way out of this," John growled. "How the hell did you know they were vampires? And more importantly, how the hell did you know how to kill them?"

"Well... the bumpy foreheads, the golden eyes and the fangs kind of gave it away," Xander told them, "and, well, the whole attack-the-teenagers-in-the-park thing helped us jump to the vampire conclusion."

"Not what I meant and you know it. Now is not the time to be a smartass, Xander,"

"What do you guys know about the Hellmouth?" Willow asked, involving herself before Xander and John started arguing... not that Willow could blame Xander for stuffing around. John was obviously angry and when he was angry, he reminded Willow, and definitely Xander as well, of a certain Tony Harris. When Willow was around his stepfather, Xander had a habit of drawing Tony's ire to protect Willow and Xander had, obviously, decided to use the same tactic with John, even though Willow doubted that John was going to become violent. She didn't think any of the others would let things escalate that badly.

"Mystical portal between Earth and a hell dimension...Never actually seen one," John replied.

"Right... as well as serving as a potential gateway between earth and a hell dimension, a Hellmouth also produces dark energy that attracts all sorts of things... vampires, demons, forces of darkness... whatever."

John nodded and Dean looked at Sam, who was also nodding, having obviously stumbled across the term while researching for a hunt.

"And you have been to a Hellmouth... Sunnydale is a Hellmouth... it's right beneath our high school library. It's closed, for the moment, so it's not doing its portal thing but it's still putting out dark energy, bringing demons and stuff closer."

"Still doesn't explain how you know all this," John growled.

"We're getting there... what do you know about Slayers?" Xander asked.

John shrugged. "Not much, I always thought they were myths."

"Oh, they exist alright," Willow smiled. "Into every generation a Slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a Chosen One. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer."

"You do know it's creepy that you've memorized that," Xander told Willow in a undertone.

Willow just shrugged in reply. "I like it... it sums everything up, lets you tell people where you stand."

"Are... are you the Slayer?" John asked Willow, his face paling, and his voice croaking slightly. Willow and Xander, however, both snorted.

"No, it's not me... we're friends with her, though, and we help out with the slaying and the research and sometimes we get to be bait. Some of the time, we're just there for emotional support but yeah, we're her sidekicks."

"The Scooby gang, that's us," Xander put in with a grin. Dean shook his head, burying his face in his hands.

"Why am I doomed to be the only cool member of my family? The Scooby gang, seriously? What are you guys... like five?"

Sam pointedly ignored the comment, focusing instead on his father and youngest siblings.

"How long have you been doing that for... helping the Slayer?" John asked.

Willow shrugged. "Six months, give or take a few weeks."

"We helped avert an apocalypse a few weeks ago... that was a bit of a highlight," Xander chimed in, remembering proudly that he had been the one to resuscitate Buffy... and not Angel.

"We've done other bits and pieces too, since we started," Willow added. "We usually help out on patrol three or four times a week... more often if there's something going on that we need to look into... and I always help out the Watcher for about an hour after school... researching on the internet, looking up books... you know, Watcher stuff. It's not always apocalypses and all that... is that right? The plural for apocalypse? Is it apocalypses or apocaclypsi?" Willow babbled. Xander discreetly nudged her in the ribs with his elbow and Willow clamped her lips shut.

"How much training have you had?" John asked.

"Er...training?" Xander asked. "Like, as in, physical training?"

"Yeah," John said. "Like fighting, weapons practice... drills, sparring... that kind of deal."

"Our training... It's kind of... on the job," Willow admitted. "Although, it's effective... I can run so much further now compared to at the start."

"I'm surprised our P.E. teacher hasn't said something... although knowing people on the Hellmouth... I'm kind of not," Xander added. "Occasionally, I help B... uh, the Slayer with her sparring but that's really it, as far as training goes."

"Six months... the boy that died... the one you were friends with, but he died," Sam butted in, connecting the dots. It was good timing because John looked like he was about to blow a blood vessel. Dean did not want to be the Slayer or her Watcher when Willow and Xander went back home. John looked ready to kill.

At Sam's comment, Willow's gaze dropped and Xander looked away pointedly. "He was turned into a vampire... I had to stake him," Xander said in a toneless voice. Willow put her hand on his shoulder.

"That was that night we found out about everything... I almost got kidnapped too but Xander and the Slayer... you don't mind if we keep her identity a secret, do you?... they saved me but we couldn't save Jesse."

John felt his heart clench sympathetically. It must have been hard for Xander to have to kill his best friend... or rather, the demon that was wearing his best friend's body so soon after finding out about the supernatural's existence. Even now, after so many years, John shuddered at the idea of having to deal with Bobby or even, God forbid, one of the boys, if they were turned.

An uncomfortable silence reigned in the room as each member of the Winchester family, both new and old, thought about how hard it would have been to have to do what Xander had done.

"By the way, those vampires tonight... they were fledglings... except for maybe that second one that you were fighting, Xander, he might have been older," Willow said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah... they were still all newbie-ish," Xander agreed, dragging himself from his thoughts. There was a sadness in his eyes still but he looked better than he had five minutes before.

"How can you tell... with no training?" John asked, his anger coming to the surface again, although it wasn't aimed at Xander and Willow... but rather at whichever idiot that let them take an active role in hunting without training them first... the one who had thrown them into this situation. John knew from what Bobby had told him that Slayers were generally teenagers about the same age as Willow and Xander were and John felt no resentment towards that kid but John also knew that Slayers were supervised by adults known as Watchers... and John thought a Watcher should know better than to let two teenagers get involved in the war against the forces of darkness without giving them proper training. It was the Watcher who John's anger was directed towards.

"Er... if they weren't fledglings, we'd probably be sporting more injuries than we are and chances are we'd be dead," Xander told them, as though the answer was obvious.

"Anyway... how do you guys know about the supernatural?" Willow asked, deciding that the conversation had been focused on her and Xander for too long and that they needed to turn the tables on the senior Winchesters. Sam and Dean both looked at John, wondering how open he was going to be with the younger members of the family while Adam, standing beside Sam, looked from John to Xander and Willow and back at John, trying to keep track of what was going on.

"My wife was murdered by a demon when Sam was six months old... I've been hunting demons and the like ever since."

"You're a hunter?" Xander echoed in amazement, a smile spreading across his face. Willow's eyes had gone similarly wide.

"Yeah, we all are... except for Adam... he kind of didn't know anything about this until tonight. I guess the cat's out of the bag now," Dean pointed out. John shot a look sideways at Adam, who looked rather pale, and inwardly winced. Even though he had never wanted Adam to find out about the supernatural, John had always known that it was likely his third son would find out about it eventually and John had put a great deal of thought into how he was going to break the news.

Suffice to say, things were not going the way John planned them to. For instance, John had planned on being calm and in control of his emotions what he talked to the younger members of his family, gently and carefully breaking the news that the things that they had feared during their childhood... the monster under the bed, the beings that made things go bang in the night... that they were all real.

John guiltily knew that instead he was angry and had overreacted to Xander and Willow's situation. A glance at the youngest members of his family told John that Xander was on edge... eyeing him wearily, as if John was about to lash out violently towards him or Willow. Willow was studying her shoes intently, hiding behind a curtain of red hair, although John could tell from the stiffness in her shoulders that Willow was tense and possibly even scared... of him. John let out a sigh, forcing himself to calm down.

John could easily trace his emotions back to the moment he walked into the park, drawn by the sound of Adam yelling, and saw the three teenagers, backed up against the brick wall, trying to fight off a group of hungry vampires. In that single moment, fear had seized John and he had lost the ability to move.

He had watched, helpless as Dean had shot one of the vampires in the back with the crossbow he was loading, causing it to disappear in an explosion of ash and evening up the fight. In his mind, John saw Willow getting thrown over the table, Sam beginning to run forward to save his baby sister but then skidding to a stop when Willow had grabbed the branch and used it to kill the vampire, just as Xander rammed his stake into the chest of the vampire he had been fighting. Even though his heart had still been enveloped in fear... because John had known just from seeing that brief fight, that Xander and Willow were by no means strangers to the family business, John had felt pride well up within him at the conduct of his two youngest children. While their style might have been a little unorthodox and their experience lacking, there had no doubt about Xander and Willow's primary objective, which was to protect Adam. John couldn't fault his youngest children's desire to protect Adam... he even admired it.

The whole situation had forced John to learn about his younger offspring, especially Xander and Willow. They were brave, possibly foolishly so, but John recognized that it did take courage to accept the knowledge that the supernatural was real and make the decision to fight it, knowing that you would be fighting beings that were almost always stronger than you were, and there was a high degree of possibility that you would end up dead because of it. Not many people had that courage and John now knew that Willow and Xander had it in spades.

Of course, John wasn't entirely sure whether or not he was entirely pleased about this. Hunting demons wasn't an occupation that promised a long and healthy life and there was a part of him that had hoped that his younger children would grow up to have long, happy, healthy and normal lives.

John turned his gaze to Willow and Xander, who were still sitting side by side, looking up at him with mildly apprehensive looks on their faces, and sighed. John doubted that either of the two would ever be able to call their lives normal, even if they gave up their current lifestyle... something which John knew from the determined glint in Willow's eyes and the slight pout on Xander's face that reminded John forcibly of Sam was unlikely to happen.

As for the Hellmouth and Xander and Willow's homes above it, John felt powerless. He knew, from a legal perspective, that he had no rights as far as his youngest children were concerned... and there was little chance of him ever getting any. Willow's parents had money... enough money to get the best lawyers, ones that John could never dream of affording while no judge in the world would give custody to a man of John's less than reputable history, considering his unfixed address and the criminal record John knew he had, when Willow's biological mother was rich, healthy, a famous childhood psychologist, and could provide everything Willow could ever want. As for the Harrises, there was a chance that Jessica would give her parental rights up to John if it meant getting Xander away from both herself and from Tony Harris but John instinctively knew that unless he was bringing Willow with him, there was no way Xander would leave Sunnydale permanently.

John knew that he couldn't forcibly take Xander and Willow away from their homes... they would resent him for it and John knew the life he could offer was nowhere near what Xander and Willow deserved. At least, in Sunnydale, Xander and Willow had a certain degree of support. They were allied with the Slayer, which while it would attract trouble, would also protect them. They went to a good school and, as far as John could tell, were happy. They had friends and, as much as John wanted to deny it, they obviously loved their lives, including the newly established demon hunting aspects to it.

"Promise me you'll be careful," John said finally, "and... and you need to be trained... all of you." John turned his gaze to Adam, who bit his lip.

"I don't expect you to hunt them... but you have to know how to protect yourselves. I couldn't explain to you before why it was so important... I wanted to protect you as much as possible from all this, I wanted you to have the chance at a normal life but now... now that you know what is out there, you should learn how to protect yourself... and your mom," John told Adam, who nodded shakily. John figured that, even now, Adam would be the least likely of the group to actively take up hunting. Adam had confessed his desire to become a doctor to John and John supported him fully. Adam was a healer, not a fighter. He would fight to protect himself or his family, if he had no other option, but he was more peaceful than Dean and Sam.

"Where are we going to train?" Willow asked curiously. "I don't think the motel owners are going to appreciate us practicing sparring like B... like the Slayer and, er, a friend of hers do." Willow winced, having already realized that John, Dean, and Sam wouldn't understand the concept of a vampire with a soul and had decided that it would be best for everyone if she and Xander didn't mention Angel and his unique circumstances.

"We'll go to a friend of mine. He's got lots of space... and he's got the equipment that we'll need and he's got lots of books about the supernatural that I'll get you guys to look at," John told her, wondering what Bobby would say when he turned up, all five of his children in tow.

Willow brightened at the mention of books while Xander groaned and dropped back dramatically against the bed.

"I thought this was going to be a vacation away from having to read books about demons," he moaned and Dean, Sam, and Willow all snorted.

"So I guess we're going to Bobby's?" Dean asked with a smile.

John nodded. "Yeah... we're going to Bobby's."

_FIN_

**A.N. There we go, the last chapter of Road trip 2...which will be continued in Road trip 3...yes...there is another story in the works. I'm not sure when I'll get the time to write it, but i have plans to write another story in this sage. There is also, potentially, a Road trip 4, which will either be another 6 chapter story, or just a one shot, which will take place when everyone is a little older...I'm thinking after season three or four of Buffy, with a focus on Willow trying to hide her magic from the hunters.**

**Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, your feedback means so much to me. **

**Keep on the lookout for my next story...check out my page (same author name) for a poll on what story I'm going to post next.**

**R.W.**


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